Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, with its striking cantilever overlooking Boston Harbor, may be the most architecturally significant building to be built in the Hub in a generation. “Four decades ago the completion of a City Hall in Brutalist concrete sent the city’s cultural guardians into a panic. Since then, with a few exceptions like the John Hancock Tower, the city’s architectural aspirations could generally be summed up in one word: brick.” But the ICA, which stands in a largely undeveloped area at the moment, will eventually be more than a stand-alone monument to creativity: “Viewed through a maze of new buildings, the structure could wield the force of a wonderful surprise.”
Tag: 12.08.06
Boston Pops Trims Itself
“Struggling to fill seats for some Holiday Pops concerts, the Boston Pops have cut the size of the orchestra in half for five of the performances, including the Pops’ pricey New Year’s Eve show. The move to a 40-person ensemble has angered Boston Symphony Orchestra players, who sent a petition to BSO management raising concerns about whether ticket buyers for the concerts… will feel misled when they show up at Symphony Hall.”
Wasn’t Classical Recording Supposed To Have Died By Now?
Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the music lover in your life? The music critics of the New York Times are here to help, with their annual roundup of the best classical CDs of 2006. On the list this year: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s last album, the London Symphony’s Beethoven cycle, plenty of Mozart (have you heard? It’s his 250th birthday!), and a new Concertgebouw recording of Stravinsky.
Do Novelists Need To Cite Sources?
“Should a novel end with a bibliography? And if it does, is it pomposity or an effort to come clean about one’s sources? …Even a thorough bibliography will not protect a novelist against baseless charges of plagiarism founded on a narrow understanding of how the creative imagination works. [But] the only real risk [in having] a bibliography for a novel is that it will come to be a kind of obligatory disclosure.”
Tanglewood Hit By Windstorm
The Boston Symphony’s summer home at Tanglewood suffered an estimated $250,000 of damage last week when hurricane-force winds ripped through the area. “There were 300 trees down on the grounds, but the cleanup will be complete by the time Tanglewood opens in late June.”
Definitive Hicks Painting Up For Auction
“Edward Hicks’s celebrated ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ paintings — parables of the animal kingdom inspired by the words of the prophet Isaiah — come up for sale every now and again. Each seems to have its own special story. On Jan. 19 Christie’s in New York is selling the last of 60 images in the series.” The seller, who is descended from Hicks himself, expects to realize $3 to $4 million.
The Evolution Of The Third Tenor
Jose Carreras just turned 60, and his career is as alive as ever. But it’s not exactly the same career he once had. “Questions about his retirement were rattling around as long ago as 1992. Then, he said 2000. But here we are, six years on, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down… But there is a sense that the prodigious tenor will be remembered fondly for past operatic glories, not present triumphs.”
Aboriginal Film Cleans Up At AFI Awards
“Australia’s first ever indigenous language feature film has been awarded the country’s top movie honour. Billed as an Aboriginal comedy, Ten Canoes tonight won the best film category at the 48th annual Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards in Melbourne.”
Two Operas Canceled In L.A.
Two small L.A. opera companies have been forced to cancel productions this week. El Dorado Opera and Lyric Opera of Los Angeles are both facing financial difficulties, and not having the resources of larger companies, they’ve begun scrapping shows in the middle of the holiday concert season.
Ringing True
What is it about Wagner’s Ring cycle that has such a hold on so many people? “It’s absurd, lasts for ever, and has no sympathetic characters… [Furthermore, if it] does not appeal to women as much as men, it is perhaps because Wagner’s idea of love doesn’t extend much beyond sexual passion.” Still, there’s no denying the raw power of the music, as a first time Ringer found out in Cardiff this week.